If you’ve baked all the banana breads and in the world, but still have some ripe bananas on hand you want to use up, I have got a delicious Oil Free Peanut Butter & Banana Granola recipe just for you.

Who said granola is a thing you can only buy and that it is too complicated to make yourself?

Granola is one of those foods that I love having on hand, usually keeping one or two big mason jars of it in my pantry. Some of my favorite ways to eat granola are :

As a topping on a smoothie bowl

With a creamy chia pudding or plant based yogurt

On its own as a snack * especially when the granola has a chunky & cluster-type texture

With plant based milk

Stuffing dates with peanut or almond butter and sprinkling some granola on top of them to add a crunchy element.

Now, this brings us to this recipe. What I love about it is :

Number one – it is very versatile. You can use any nuts or seeds you have on hand; no need to stick with pepitas and walnuts like I did. Also, if you have some puffed grains you want to use up, feel free to swap out 1 cup of oats with two cups of your favorite puffed grains to add an extra level of crunchiness!

Number two – it is oil free; the crunch in this granola comes from the maple syrup and the peanut butter baking together.

Number three – it requires very few ingredients (9 to be exact), which means it is a very accessible recipe! I bet you already have at least half of the items on the ingredient list in your pantry ;)

So what are you waiting for? This granola is begging to enter your kitchen and to hear your rave reviews about it! If you do give in to the temptation of making this recipe (which frankly, you totally should!), make sure to let me know how you find it in the comments or over on Instagram by tagging me (@muriellebanackissa).

Add oats, pepitas, walnuts, cinnamon and salt to a large bowl and stir. Set aside

Add mashed bananas, peanut butter, maple syrup and vanilla extract to a small saucepan and heat over low heat.

Using a spatula, mix the wet ingredients together until you have a homogeneous puree.

Pour the wet ingredients onto the dry ingredients and mix until evenly coated.

Transfer to parchment-lined baking sheet and spread evenly, making sure the granola is well compacted.

Bake for 20 minutes. Stir the granola around so that the outside edges are moved to the middle and the middle chunks are moved to the outside. If you want a chunkier granola, be more gentle with the stirring, keeping some larger chunks intact.

Bake for another 20 minutes.

Remove from the oven and let cool completely before transferring into an airtight container.